1889.J Psychology. 833 
The peculiar actions of the bubo directed my attention to a dark 
corner of the building. Going through a peculiar "marking time" 
motion with his feet, swaying his body from side to side, his head re- 
volving in a circle, he would look at me, and then peer into the cor- 
ner. Going to this place I discovered my hawk, and a sorry specimen 
he was ; tail pulled out, one wing gone, and presenting a generally 
dilapidated appearance. The miscreants had killed him, and then 
dropped his body behind a barrel in this corner. Lifting the body 
into view, the owls again broke out into excited hootings, saying as 
plainly as owl language could make it : " We are the fellows that did 
it." "We killed the bear." 
It is well known that some of the hawks and kites will catch and 
One day while the owls were quietly eating their rations of Spoon 
river suckers, without any warning I threw on the floor beside them a 
large live pilot snake {Coluber obsoletus). The effect was magical, and 
almost threw them into owl hysterics. 
They flew about the room, wildly uttering frightened hootings. 
The barred finally, much to my discomfiture, perched upon my shoul- 
der, as if seeking my protection ; his whole body was in a tremor, and 
he constantly uttered low, cat-like growls. Nor did their fright and 
excitement abate until the reptile; was removed from their sight. Nor 
did they soon forget this trick, and for many days afterwards, on my 
entering their apartments, they would eye me sharply, as if suspicious 
that there were more snakes about me. 
Being unusually busy for several days in early June, the owls were 
somewhat neglected, and did not receive their usual allowance of 
" bait." One morning the Syrnium was missing, and a search revealed 
the fact that he had been killed and eaten by his mate, the bubo, 
nothing being left of him to tell of his tragic end except the wings and 
one leg. 
Soon after this I gave the great horned his liberty, but he seemed in 
no hurry to leave the old haunts. For several mornings in succession 
^e would be returned to me by some one of my neighbors, saying that 
my "hooter" had got loose and was after their chickens; becoming 
impatient at these nightly raids, they handled him more roughly, and 
stones and sticks in no gentle hands were used to drive him from their 
premises. Not fancying this rough usage, he left the town, and I have 
good reason for believing took up his abode with a family of owls re- 
siding in a tract of woods two miles north of the village.— W. S. 
Str(H3E, Bernadotte, lU. 
